I needed to buy some food and went to Morrisons. Because I felt so awful, I selected the nearest space, which was one of at least six vacant parent and toddler places.

I was met with a torrent of "polite" abuse from an unattractive, nondescript male, pushing a trolley empty of shopping with only a small girl in it.

Although he did not swear, his language was abusive, unreasonable and intimidating.

Perhaps looking after the child was too much for him, who knows?

Perhaps Morrisons did not have the thing he required. Perhaps he was jealous of my wonderful car, who knows?

He carried on and on for some sentences and although I responded, I was most polite and walked away.

My point is, not to carp about rude obnoxious males, but to remind all of us that not one of us realises what work a stranger does.

We have no idea how another person's life will impact on us personally, nor that of our family.

I teach; I might end up with that child in a class I am taking. Two boys decided to throw things at my car in September in Bressingham. They were smirking because they thought that I could do nothing to remonstrate with them, until they were told what I do. The smirk soon went.

Given the deterioration of behaviour in schools and in general I should not be surprised that a parent was so obnoxious.

This person threatened to let my tyres down, but satisfied himself with writing, what he thought was abuse in the dirt on my car. "Rude cow" is a laugh, I love cows and the only person who was rude was him.

If he reads this and thinks that an apology will make things right, I suggest that he forget me (I do not do apologies from intentional rudeness, they change nothing) but concentrate on bringing up his child with some respect and politeness.

Perhaps I should have left the six places vacant, but since I was intending to buy only two items, would be five minutes and felt so ghastly, I decided that it would be reasonable.

When I left within the five minutes, there were still six vacant places.

Name and address withheld

What do you think?